Ex-police cruiser.  Awesome car.  Lasts forever.  Durable, and fast.  And not bad on gas for a V8.  20 mpg.  My first car and has gotten me through high school and commutes to college.

It's conservative styling may seem bland to some, but beneath the exterior is an extremely well built car. This car humbly serves for over 80% of law enforcement and nearly all Taxi Cab companies. This in itself is a testament to reliability and ruggedness of the vehicle. In addition, the Crown Victoria has received a frontal 5 star crashtest rating from the NHTSA for 12 years running and is also the ONLY car in the world to be tested to a 75mph rear end impact by law enforcement agencies. The Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis/Town Car are amongst the only cars today to use "BOF" (Body on Frame) construction as opposed to "unibody" or "unitized" construction. By a simple frame of reference, nearly all pickup trucks (with the exception of the Honda Ridgeline) use the same engineering principle. Do not forget to note the car has a gigantic trunk at 20.6 cu ft. If you threw a bean bag and a flash light in there, a 7th passenger could comfortably travel with you. But I don't exactly think that's legal.

Ford refers to the vehicle as a "modern classic."  The original platform (code named Panther) dates back to 1979. It is one of the longest lived platforms in the auto industry. The current CV uses Ford's 4.6L SOHC 2V V8, which has been in use since the 1992 model year. The engine has received many refinements, most notably in 1998, when improved valve guides and coil on plug (COP) ignition were introduced.  The 1998 model year introduced many other improvements such as Watts linkage to the rear suspension and a revised roofline to match it’s sister car, the Grand Marquis.

The CV achieves remarkable fuel economy considering it's overall weight and engine displacement. The Crown Vic I currently drive typically achieves 22mpg and 25+ on the freeway. I consider this remarkable for a 2 ton RWD car with a V8.  

Crown Victoria's are easy to keep due to their low maintenance requirements and cheap insurance costs. Used Crown Victoria's can be found for a inexpensive cost due to their low resale value. I picked up my 99 in '06 w/98k miles for about $6300 in excellent condition. Many of the civilian CV's are commonly owned by the elderly and can be found in excellent condition. Insurance cost is also extremely low, and I mean LOW... My previous vehicle was a '94 Mazda Protege and the Vic is only slightly more expensive for FULL coverage VS the LIABILITY only insurance I had with the Mazda.

If you're into performance, these aren't the quickest or best handling cars on the road.  There is moderate body roll while taking turns, although the rear Watts linkage suspension does promote good high speed stability. In addition, a Crown Vic will achieve the quarter mile in around the low 16's... not exactly quick but not exactly slow either. The vehicle does have good off the line pull due to a reasonable amount of torque (275ft lbs for the 99 model year). But again these cars are not built with high performance in mind, they're designed to transport people and things.  If you're looking for performance, the 3V version of the 4.6L V8 in the current Mustang will develop more power and will shave about 3 seconds off your quarter mile time.

*Maintenance tips/comments:  Simply change the oil every 5,000 miles and pay good attention to other manufacturer recommended intervals. Being a RWD car, there are no CV joints to worry about and all the wheel bearings are permanently sealed. The chassis is also permanently sealed and the u-joint on the drive shaft does not require lubrication. The brakes on this car have high longevity. After owning the vehicle for nearly two years and 30,000 miles, Les Schwab still tells me the brakes are at 80% (whenever I take my tires for rotation, about every 5k), I find this astonishing compared to my previous vehicles. There have been times when I've really had to jam on those brakes hard.

So, I know I wrote a book about these cars...  But if you're looking for a used car that's safe, rugged, reliable, and comfortable, DO NOT hesitate to add the Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis to your list. It is one of America's best kept secrets.

This thing runs forever...